Knockdown reversible hollow metal doorframe



Sept. 22, 1953 K. B. MILLER KNOCKDOWN REVERSIBLE HOLLOW METAL DOORFRAME Filed April 12, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet l lnmenim" Atari B. miller Sept. 22, 1953 K. B. MILLER KNOCKDOWN REVERSIBLE HOLLOW METAL DOORFRAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1947 z a 2 Z 6 2 9 6 2 7 9 2 I IV J nwMIIIIIII .IIIWHIIIVPIVIUI P M 3M m, Fw :25 a

QHIIII I 2 I III IJIII I I IQ I EV I Q 5 JJ 6 4 a 2 6 4 8 /fi z/ z 1 w I I %Ifl/| II II 1 I I k Q 4 I I'll III-J a J T INVENTOR. Mar! B. 77217262 Sept, 22, 1953 K. B. MILLER KNOCKDOWN REVERSIBLE HOLLOW METAL DOORF'RAME Filed April 12, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 22, 1953 K. B. MILLER 2,652,907

KNOCKDOWN REVERSIBLE HOLLOW METAL DOORFRAME Filed April 12, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Karl B. miller Patented Sept. 22, 1953 DOORFRAME Karl B. Miller, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Firecraft Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a, corporation of Illinois Application April 12, 1947, Serial No. 741,064

4 Claims.

This invention relates to knock-down reversible hollow metal door frames.

hinge jambs, and a, head, the parts being so constructed that the jarnbs are capable of interchangeable assembly with the ends of the head, so that the frame maybe assembled one way to accommodate a door which opens to the right, or another way to accommodate a door which opens to the left.

A further object is to provide a door frame in which the door stop is differently spaced from the faces of the frame to accommodate selectively doors of different thicknesses.

An additional object is to provide separate iamb and head members which may be shipped knocked down and assembled without fastening means at the lace of installation, and, when assembled, will provide a rigid vdoor frame.

A further object .is to provide separate jamb and head members which may be shipped to the place of installation and may be assembled to form a rigid frame merely by the act of moving them together.

It is another object to provide frame jamb positioning floor anchors which may be attached tothe .fioor before installation of .the frame, thus saving time in the complete frame installation.

Another object is to provide astrike plate with a plurality of door latch bolt holes capable of being interchangeably positioned for service, for selectively accommodating doors in which the latch bolts are disposed at different distances from the door stop of the frame.

.A further object is to provide a masonry anchor capable of speedy assembly with and adjustability along a frame member.

.It is also an object to provide a door frame member with means enabling it to be readily attached to wall studding or the like.

Another object is to provide floor anchors which maybe installed before the jambs, for anchored the jambs to the floor, whereby a substantial saving in installing time and therefore in labor cost is 'made possible.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following description and accompa-nying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a door frame constructed in accordance with one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section and 2 partly in elevation, of the hinge jamb and head portions of the frame of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a plug used in coupling each jamb to the head and to the floor.

Figs. 4, 5, -6, '7 and 8 are sectional views taken as indicated by the lines 4-4, 5-5. -6--6, 1-1 and 8-8, respectively, in Fig. 2.

Figs. 9, l0, l1 and 12 are fragmentary elevational views showing the strike plate in four different service positions, to accommodate differently positioned latch bolts.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 13-43 in Fig. 9.

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the iambs interchanged.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary isometric view showing the juncture of the head of the frame with one of the jambs.

Fig. 1-6 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation, similar to the lower part of Fig. 2 but showing wall studding anchoring means.

Fig. 17 is a sectional View taken as indicated by the line il-ll in Fig. 16.

Fig. l8.is .a top plan view of an end formation of the head of the frame.

Fig. 19 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 18.

Fig. .20 isa bottom plan view of the structure shown in Figs. 18 and 19.

Fig. .21 is a view similar to Fig. 1'8 but with a jamb assembled with the head.

Fig. 22 is a front .elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 21.

Fig. 23 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 23-23 in Fig. 22.

Fig. 24 shows a frame constructed in accordance with my invention but modified by substituting a bottom or tread member identical with the head member for the door such .as is shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing-s. there is shown generally at 3.9 .a knock.- down door frame comprising a head .32, a strike jamb .34 and a hinge jamb 35. The head 32 may be formed of sheet metal rolled into the crosssectional shape of a modified O or channel, and comprises flanges .38 and in having coplanar inturned lips 42 and .44, respectively, spaced wide and narrow coplanar web portions 46 and 48, and an intermediate depressed door stop 58 having a horizontal portion .52 and vertical portions 54 and .56 at the .sides thereof, the portion 54 being spaced a predetermined distance from the flange 38 to accommodate a door of one thicktheir .40 and at .the act of sliding their ends together.

ness and the portion 56 being spaced from the flange 40 to accommodate a door of another thickness, so that the one frame member may be used, instead of two as heretofore. The ensuing description applies to some extent to the arrangement in which a door engages the stop 59 at the side 54 thereof. Each end portion 51, 58 of the head 32 may be mitered as shown at 60 from the ends 62 of the lips 42 and 44 to the ends 63 of the web portions 46 and 46, and the door stop 59 is cut off inwardly from the ends 63 of the web portions 46 and 48 as shown at 64, the height of the stop 59 being preferably equal to the distance of said end 63 from the ends E4 for a purpose which will appear.

A shell 66 is inverted and its bottom 61 spotwelded as at 68 to the lower faces of the end portions of the lips 42 and 44, the box being preferably of substantially less depth than the head flanges 38 and 40 and being so dimensioned and positioned that its outer longitudinal wall I9 is spaced inward from the ends 62 of the lips, its end walls I2 and I4 are spaced from the flanges 38 and 49, respectively, and its inner longitudinal wall I5 is spaced from the vertical plane of the web ends 63, in each case a distance equal to the thickness of th metal of which the head is made, for a purpose which will appear.

The jambs 34 and 36 are of identical construction and are preferably cut from rolled sheet metal of the same thickness as the metal of the head 32 and of the same cross-sectional configuration, but are narrower from face to face by twice the thickness of the metal, for a reason which will appear. Each jamb accordingly has lips I3 and I9, flanges 80 and 82, spaced wide and narrow coplanar web portions 84 and 8E, and an intermediate depressed door stop 88 having a web portion 99 and side portions 92 and 94, to respectively engage wide and narrow doors.

The edges 96 and 91 at the respective ends 98 and 99 of each jamb 34, 36 are cut at right angles, and hence lie in planes normal, to the axis of the jamb so that, when the end 98, for example, is assembled with an end 58 of the head 32, the entire jamb end edge 96 is in the plane of the lower faces of the head lips 42 and 44, portions of said edge abutting said faces, the jamb door stop web 99 fits against the end edge 64 of the head door stop 54, the jamb door stop sides 92 and 94 fit against the free longitudinal edges I90 of the head web portions 46 and 48,

the jamb web portions 84 and 86 at their outer faces engage the head web end edges 63 and at inner faces engage the outer face of the inner longitudinal wall I6 of the shell 66, the

-jamb flanges 99 and 82 at their outer faces engage the inner faces of the head flanges 36 and their inner faces engage the outer faces of the ends walls I2 and I4 of the shell, and the co-planar jamb lips I8 and I9 at their outer faces lie flush with the end edges 62 of the head lips 42 and 44 and at their inner faces engage the exterior surface of the outer longitudinal 'wall 10 of the shell, providing a sliding snugly fittin rigid joint, the jamb stop 88 being of the same width as the head stop 54, so that, when the jambs and head are thus assembled, the jamb door stop surfaces 92 and 94 ar flush with the respective head stop surfaces 54 and 56, the flanges 80 of the jambs 34 and 36 are in the same plane, and the flanges 82 of the jambs are in the same plane. Each jamb may thus be assembled with the head 32 merely by The walls right, may be readily secured to the flooring III] (or to floor studs, as will appear) to position the lower ends 99 of the jambs, and, for that purpose, the floor 61 of each shell is formed with one or more holes II4 for the reception of nails or other suitable fastenings H6. The shell 66 is adapted to fit snugly in either end of each jamb, and, when the lower end 99 of each jamb is positioned about a shell, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 2, with the lower jamb edge 91 engaging the floor III) and the jamb lips I8 and 19 snugly engaging the shell wall I0, the lower end of the jamb is snugly anchored in place.

For the purpose of anchoring the frame an to concrete or the like, once the frame is assembled, I provide anchoring elements of which one is shown in detail at I29 in Figs. 2 and 8. It comprises a generally T-shaped, preferably normally flat sheet metal member having a head I22 and a stem I24, the length of the head I22 being less than the distance between the inner surfaces of the frame member flanges, and the width of the head being slightly greater than the distance between the frame member lips and the web portions. The anchor head I22 is adapted to be introduced into the frame member between the lips thereof, moved along the frame member to the desired position, and turned until its plane is nearly normal to the axis of the frame member. It will be noted that the anchor head edges I39 may function as a fulcrum engaged with the inner surfaces of the frame member lips so that, when a forc is ap plied to the anchor stem I24, in a direction tending to place the anchor in a plane normal to the frame member axis, the opposite edge I32 of the anchor head I22 will be brought into tight binding engagement with the inner surfaces of the web portions of the frame member by virtue of the resilient yielding of the lips or the anchor head or both, thereby detachably yet securely holding the anchor in relation to the jamb. The anchor preferably has holes I36 for the free passage of the concrete, and may be flanged as shown at I38 at the holes for additional anchorage.

If the door frame is to be attached to wall studdings, I may employ, instead of the anchors I29, other anchoring means, shown generally at I49. Each such means comprises a bracket I42 of preferably channel form having a web I44 longitudinally slotted at I45 and extending from one flange 89 to the other flange 82 of the jamb and having flanges I46 spot welded as at I48 to the jamb flanges. These brackets may be spaced apart lengthwise of each jamb and, if desired, may likewise be secured to the head 32. Cooperating with the bracket I42 is a detachable U-shaped member I52 with a bight I54 having an angularly offset tongue I55, and legs I56 having extensions I58 with one or more holes I59 for the reception of nails or other suitable fastenings I60 by means of which said legs may be fastened to wall studding I62. The tongue I55 is adapted to be passed through the bracket slot I50 and engage a face of the bracket web I44 as shown in Fig. 16, when the leg extensions I58 are swung down to a position generally at right angles to the axis of the jamb, the edges I66 of the legs 156 being at the same time engaged with the opposite face of the bracket web. This anchoring means may be connected to the head 32 also.

When wall studding I62 is used, it may rest on the flooring III] at which the shell 66 is attached, or it maybe secured as at I68 to a floor stud I 69 which may pass between the jamb lips 80 and 82 and under the shell, and the shell may be then nailed or otherwise fastened as at I I6 to the top of the end portion I 72 of the floor stud, as shown in Fig. '16.

Fig. 1 shows an arrangement in which the door is hinged at the right. One of the features of the invention involves the interchangeability of the hinge and strike jambs 34 and 36 so that the jambs may be-assembled with the head 32 in such away that the door is hinged at the left, in which event the hinges II4 are at the left and the strike plate I16 is at the right, as shown in Fig. 14. For thepurpose of interchangeability the jamb hinge leaves I I8 and I80 are identical and equidistant from :the top and bottom of the hinge jamb 36,=andthe strike plate I16 is provided with twoslots I82 and I84, one or the other oi -which, as will appear, is adapted to be positioned to receive :the door latch bolt I86, the strike plate being mounted on the strike jamb so that the horizontal center line Hi8 of the strike plate is equidistant from the ends of thestrike jamb, and

the slots being arranged preferably so that they are equidistant from said center verse the jambs B4 and 36 from the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 to provide a frame adapted to hinge a door at the left, as shown in Fig. 14, the hinge jamb 36 and :99 are reversed, with hinge leaf I30 uppermost and with the hinge leaves I15 and I-Bt outside, the strike jamb is similarly reversed, and both jambs are assembled with the head 32 and with the boxes t attached to the flooring I Ill or floor studding H69, as the case may be. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the lower strike slot I82 is in position to accommodate the door latch bolt :es. In the arrangement shown in Figs. and 14, the formerly upper strike slot I84 will be lowermost and in position to accommodate the cooperating "door latch bolt.

additional feature of the invention involves line. To rethe end 99 and the the provision of a strike plate I16 constructed as aforesaid "and with the holes I82 and I84 in predetermined positions relativeto the vertical edges 192 and IM of the strike plate to enable the strike plate to occupy selectively four different positions and consequently to provide a bolt-receiving hole selectively in four different positions, to compensate for variations in the position of a door latch bolt relative to the door stop due to variations in look constructions for a given door thickness. To accommodate the strike 'I'IB, the strike jamb web portion 84, in front of the door stop 28 thereof, is cutout at 200. A reinforcemerit plate 202 is spot-welded as at 264 to said web portion 84 above and below the opening 286, and has a depressed portion 206 to which the strike plate 115 may be detachably secured as by screws12fl8, with the outer face 2H of the strike plate flush with the outer surface of the web portion 84. The hole I82 (Fig. 9) is arranged to accommodate the latch bolt I85, and the l-ongi tudi-nal edge '2 I12 of said hole is positioned to cooperate with the latching face 2 I 4 of the bolt. It .will be noted that the edge 2I2 of the hole I82 is farther from thestrike edge I32 than theother longitudinal edge 2I 8 of the hole is from the other is arranged so that its ends 98 strike edge I94, and that the longitudinal edges 218 and 220 of the other strike plate hole I84 are different distances from the strike plate edges I 92 and I94, each of said distances being different from the distances between the edges 2I2 and -2I-6 of the hole I82 and the strike plate edges.

If the strike plate were attached as shown in Fig. 10, with its faces reversed, without changing the positions of the top and bottom of the strike plate, the edge 2I6 of the hole I82 would be the edge which cooperates with the latch bolt face 2I4, so that, if the door accommodated by the frame were one in which the latch bolt were spaced from the strike jamb stop 88 a distance equal to the new distance between the edge 2I and said stop, as shown in Fig. 10, such a door would be accommodated by the same frame. To obtain additional locations of the strike hole edge which is to cooperate with the latch bolt, it is necessary merely to attach the strike plate I16 so that the hole IE4 is lowermost with one or the other face 2I0 or 222 of the strike plate outermost, to locate the edge 2 I8 (Fig. 11) or the edge 228 (Fig. 12) in position to cooperate with the bolt, depending upon the position of the bolt with respect to the door.

As noted above, some doors are somewhat thicker than others. For example, some doors have a standard thickness of 1%" and others 1%. In the past, door frames have been made with the door stop equidistant from the faces of the frame, so that only one door thickness could be accommodated by a frame. In accordance with my invention, however, the door stop is differently spaced from the faces of the frame, the distances corresponding preferably to different standard door thicknesses, as for example those just above noted, so that the same frame is adapted to be used with a door of either thickness, so that the number of different sizes of frames necessary to be produced for all door thicknesses is thereby practically halved. Moreover, in View of the interchangeability of the jambs, my frame can be set up for doors hinged either at the right or at the left, and, in View of the multiplicity of positions of the bolt receiving strike hole, the installation cost to accommodate a door is substantially reduced, the location and arrangement of the holes being selected to cover the entire range of positions of bolts for a given door thickness. It is further observed that either face of the frame may be disposed at the front, according as it is to accommodate a door of one or another thickness, so that, if the frame disclosed in the drawings, for example, were to be set up for athinner door, to cooperate with the relatively narrow web portions 48 and 86 of the head 32 and jambs 34 and 36, then the strike plate I16 and hinge leaves I13 would instead be mounted on the narrow web portions 86 of the jambs.

The invention is applicable to frames for cased (i. e., doorless) openings, and accordingly the head and jambs may be made without door stop depressions, in which event of course the jambs will be free of hinge leaves and the strike plate and mounting therefor.

The mitered edges 68 may be chamfered for the sake of appearance as may be seen in Fig. 4.

Fig. 24 shows a frame according to another form of my invention, wherein the fioor of Fig. l is replaced by a bottom or tread frame member 23% identical with the head member 232, cooperating with jamb members 232 and 236 to provide a substantially rigid frame, the details of con- 7 struction of the several head and jamb members being the same as those above described. As noted above, such members may be provided with or without door stops, hinges and strike.

Various modifications coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

I claim:

1. A metal door frame member of generally channel shape having a depressed portion in the web thereof to serve as a door stop and having inturned co-planar lips extending from the flanges thereof at the margins opposite said stop, a plug secured to the inner faces of said lips, two opposite walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from said flanges a distance equal to the thickness of the metal of said frame member, one of the other walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from the extremities of said lips a distance equal to the thickness of said metal, the distance between the exterior faces of the other two opposite walls of said plug being equal to the interior distance between said lips and the web of said frame member, said flanges being mitered, said stop terminating a distance from the mitered end of said web equal to the height of said stop, the adjacent end of said web being spaced from the plane containing a pair of ends of said lips and normal to the axis of said member a distance equal to the distance between the exteriors of said lips and said web, a second generally channel-shaped metal frame member cut with an end thereof normal to its axis and of the same configuration, and dimensions and thickness as the first frame member except that the second frame member is narrower than said first frame 4 member by a distance equal to twice the thickness of said metal, said second frame member being disposed with its lips engaging the outer wall of said plug and abutting the inner faces of the lips of said first frame member, the flanges of said second frame member being disposed between the first mentioned opposite walls of said plug and the flanges of said first frame member and abutting said lips of said first frame member, the web of said second frame member engaging the free end of the web of said first frame member and abutting the lips of said first frame member and engaging the innermost wall of said plug, and the stop on the second member engaging the free end of the stop of the first member and the adjacent portion of the web of the first member.

2. A metal frame member of generally channel shape having inturned co-planar lips extending from the flanges thereof, a plug secured to the inner faces of said lips and two opposite walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from said flanges a distance equal to the thickness of the metal of said frame member, one of the other walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from the extremities of said lips a distance equal to the thickness of said metal, the distance between the exterior faces of the other two opposite walls of said plug being equal to the interior distance between said lips and the web of said frame member, said flanges being mitered, the adjacent end of said web being spaced from the plane containing a pair of ends of the said lips and normal to the axis of said member a distance equal to the distance between the exteriors of said lips and iii] said web, a second generally channel-shaped metal frame member cut with an end thereof normal to its axis and of the same configuration, dimensions and thickness as the first frame member except that the second frame member is narrower than said first frame member by a distance equal to twice the thickness of said metal, said second frame member being disposed with its lips engaging the outer wall of said plug and abutting the inner faces of the lips of said first frame member, the flanges of said second frame member being disposed between the first mentioned opposite walls of said plug and the flanges of said first frame member and abutting said lips of said first frame member, the web of said second frame member engaging the free end of the web of said first frame member and abutting the lips of said first frame member and engaging the innermost wall of said plug.

3. A metal door frame member of generally channel shape having a depressed portion in the web thereof to serve as a door stop and having inturned co-planar lips extending from the flanges thereof at the margins opposite said stop, a plug secured to the inner faces of said lips, two oppo site walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from said flanges, one of the other walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from the extremities of said lips, the distance between exterior faces of the other two opposite walls of said plug being substantially equal to the interior distance between said lips and the web of said frame member, the adjacent end of said web being spaced from the plane containing a pair of ends of said lips and normal to the axis of said member a distance equal to the distance between the exteriors of said lips and said web, and a second generally channel-shaped metal frame member cut with an end thereof normal to its axis and of the same configuration as the first frame member except that the second frame member is narrower than said first frame member by a distance equal to twice the thickness of the metal of said first frame member, said second frame member being disposed with its lips engaging the outer wall of said plug and abutting the inner faces of the lips of said first frame member, the flanges of said second frame member being snugly disposed between the first-mentioned opposite walls of said plug and the flanges of said first frame member and abutting said lips of said first frame member, the web of said second frame member engaging the free end of the web of said first frame member and abutting the lips of said first frame member and engaging the innermost wall of said plug, and the stop on said second member engaging the free end of the stop of said first member and the adjacent portion of the web of said first member.

4. A metal frame member of generally channel shape having inturned co-planar lips extending from the flanges thereof, a plug secured to the inner faces of said lips, two opposite walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from said flanges, one of the other Walls of said plug being spaced inwardly from the extremities of said lips the distance between the exterior faces of the other two opposite walls of said plug being substantially equal to the interior distance between said lips and the web of said frame member, the adjacent end of said web being spaced from the plane containing a pair of ends of said lips and normal to the axis of said member a distance equal to the distance between the exteriors of said lips and said web, a second generally channel-shaped metal frame member cut with an end thereof normal to its axis and of the same configuration as the first frame member except that said sec- 0nd frame member is narrower than said first frame member by a distance equal to twice the thickness of the metal of said first frame member, said second frame member being disposed with its lips engaging the outer wall of said plug and abutting the inner faces of the lips of said first frame member, the flanges of said second frame member being disposed between the first mentioned opposite walls of said plug and the flanges of said first frame member and abutting said lips of said first frame member, the web of said second frame member engaging the free end of the web of said first frame member and abutting the lips of the said first frame member and engaging the innermost wall of said plug.

KARL B. MILLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Thomas May 9, 1916 Wolfe May 15, 1917 Singer Dec. 13, 1921 Johnson Apr. 5, 1927 Gross A Oct. 15, 1929 Isaacson Dec. 31, 1929 Baum June 2, 1931 McHugh et al Oct. 6, 1931 Axe July 3, 1934 Jacobson June 2, 1936 Venzie Aug. 25, 1936 Gerland Feb. 13, 1940 Zecca Apr. 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Sept. 22, 1938 

